Nintendo's Legend of Zelda turns 25

Link looking pretty fly for his age

It may be hard to believe, but it's been a quarter of a century since we first saw Link's first Japanese release on 21 February 1986, with The Legend of Zelda video game series turning 25 today.

Twenty-five long years since Link first found himself on a quest to rescue Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon and 300 months since the triforce symbol became synonymous with Nintendo adventure gaming.

You found a gold rupee

Thirteen different Zelda games have been played on all the major Nintendo consoles since the original game was released on the NES and the next game, Skyward Sword, is slated for release later this year.

How gaming has changed since 1986 – instead of being tethered to the console by a 2m wire, we're roaming our living rooms and flinging our limbs around, slicing the Wii controller through the air like a sword as Link mirrors our actions on screen.

Yet still the Zelda franchise endures where so many others have fallen by the wayside. Even stoic, unchanging, sort-of wooden Link was voted the second best video game character of all time just last month.

So let's kick open that chest, call Epona using a piece of grass, ace a mini-game, throw on our iron boots and blow all our rupees on the greatest 25th birthday party of all video gaming time.

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It's a perpetual challenge among the TechRadar staff to send Kate (Twitter, Google+) a link to something interesting on the internet that she hasn't already seen. As TechRadar's News Editor (UK), she's constantly on the hunt for top news and intriguing stories to feed your gadget lust. And having been immersed in the world of tech and tech rumours for more than six years, she can spot a photoshopped iPhone 8 image from 20 paces.